Method for planning stormproof zones around or through wood districts



se uzs; 1928. 1,685,343

E. STOCK HETHOD FOR PLANNING STORMPROOF ZONES AROUND OR THROUGH WOOD DISTRICTS Filed July 13, 1926 Patented Sept. 25, 1928.

UNITED. STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL STOCK, OF BAD FLINSBERG OF SILESIA, GERMANY.

METHOD FOR PLANNING STORMPROOE ZONES AROUND .OR THROUGH WOOD DISTRICTS.

Application filed- July 13, 1926, Serial No. 122 195, and in Germany July 20, 1925.

It has been repeatedly noticed that the trunks of trees on the outskirts of a forest are loose at their roots and bent over or broken by the influence of the wind or air currents.

This is due to the fact that the wind is banked up in front of a forest and therefore exercises a great strain upon the trunks, which latter are thereby broken, split or cracked off.

According to the present invention the tops of the trees comprising the front rows or those near the outskirts of the forest are sawed or cut off in such a way thatithe standing portions form an upwardly inclined plane relative to the plane of the ground upon which the trees are growing, whereby the wind is immediately deflected onto this plane and thus will not bank up before the front or edge of the forest to subject the trees to excessive or dan'iaging strains. This will prevent the breaking or splittin of the trees and also prevent them from eing blown over since their lengths are considerably diminished and form a deflectorfor the wind.

In the drawings'several methods are diagrammatically ill'u'strated'for treating forests both on level ground and on hillsides and in which, I

Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a hillside forest showing by the dot and dash line 30 where the trees of the first three rows nearest the top are to be polled or cut.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing where the polling takesplace'on the bottom rows of trees.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a forest on level ground showing where the trees at the edge are to be polled.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the stormproof outskirts of a large forest being separated by a cross-clearing.

The method according to the tion is carried out as follows:

At the outskirts of the'forest azone, the width of which is determined according to the angle of inclination of the ground, is established by sawing off or polling the tops of the trees at predetermined points of their length in an upwardly inclined plane which 'is'above the tops of any of the trees behind those which have been treated. The present method is applicable to forests which may be subjected to any wind currents in any direction and may be applied to hillside forests where thejwind will travel up the side of the hill as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as well as to forests which are on level ground and which present invenreceive horizontal wind-currents; that is to say wind-currents traveling horizontally as shown in Fig. 3. The arrows indicate the direction of the wind and the dot and dash lines indicate where the trees are to be polled. The present method is based upon the principle of displacing the center of gravity of the trunks of the trees growing at the outskirts of a forest by pollingor sawing off the tops of the trees and to thereby increase the surface area against which the wind acts whereby its power is diminished and will not be able to crack the trunks or to loosen the roots and thereby blow the trees down, since the wind. deflected. due tothe oblique surface. These stormproof outskirts therefore render the power of a storm ineffective and alter also the path or direction of the wind by forcing it to sweep overthe forest.

Storinproof protectionsof this kind may surround the entire forest; but in the districts in which the dangerous directions of the wind are known, which for many localities are for instance from the south, southeast andwest, it is suflieient to provide the protecting zone around such parts of the forest from which the winds appear; i

The process also permits the establishment of cross zones which separatethe forestwhereby the trees of the zone d of the separating cutting opposed to the direction of the wind are also polled down. This separating cutting further enablesthe employment of a method for clearing up zones according to Wagner. According to the method of Wagner, a separating cutting, consisting of a zone 6, is laid out from east to west. The, trees in this zone c, the zone having a width of nearly 10 to 15 meters are entirely out down. The zones 7- and 'g, the so-called clearing cuttings, are of equal widtli'and follow the. cut zone 6 in which the amount of wood which is utilized is continually growing less. Simultaneously with, the rows or zones e, f, g forming altogether a clearing, a series of rows a,.b, 0 is planned in the same manner at the northern outskirts and in the direct-ion from east to west. The rows (1 and e are zones where the trees are entirely cut down and are reafiorested instantly after being cut down. After a certain number of years, forinstance in pine forests after 6 years or in mixed forests after 3 years, the corresponding rows b and fare entirely cut down and reaflorested, and the corresponding rows 0 and g are thinned out p and new zones are establish d nd are thinned lOO llU

for the first time. 7 The method according to lVagner serves therefore to utilize the forest 7 in a shorttime and to reafforest it. In case where the forest is very large, several (116211 ings may he planned across the forest. The shaded parts. cl and h. in Fig. 4: signify the zone wherein the trees have been polled as above describedi A lateral protecting zone h of polled trees may be provided in any direcition of the compass. I i

The above described process may be repeatedly carried out in large forests. In trees which have only a few branches, as for instance, pines, the branches only need to be cut off for the purpose of diminishing the power ofthe wind.

' The'pr'esent method refers to the prevention of the damaging lnfluence of air currents to the living mass of the wood. It is a technical method'and the result may be instantaneously regarded, whereas methods for foresting wood districts will not be'commercially successful until after a considerable time. The present metho however is pp forpreservingdistricts, until they reach the,

predetermined stage and is applicable in the, innermost forest as well as in its outskirts, no matter in which direction of the compass the outskirts are directed. 1

The zones a, Z) and c of Fig. 4 are established at the outskirts of a forest and comprise sections which are cut and thinned in any desired manner. 'Thismethod can also be used in large forests in which the trees are all practically the same age and whichby means of" divisional zones 1 the forest is divided into parts in order to uti'hze the lumber thereinbefore-losses take place due to the age l comprises polling the trees at the outskirts of of the trees. This clearly shown in Fig.4 in whiohgt'hreesections. e, f and g. are adapted to be cut through the zones which divide thef'orest into parts. Adjacent these divisional sections is a portion (1 which-1s polled 7 according to the-invention 1 claim as 'myinvention V "1. A method of protecting forests which comprises-polling the trees at the outskirts of the forest to, a .depth into the forest of approximately three trees to ldeflectthe air cur rents thereby preventing the air from banking up against the forest and subjecting. the trees to excessive and damaging strains.

.2. A method of protecting f'orests'which the forest to a depth into the forest of three rows of trees to deflect the air currents thereby preventing the air from banking up against the forest and subjecting the trees to excessive and damaging strains.

' 3. A method for" planting a storlnproof zone at the margin of a forest which comprises polling down the trunksina plurality of rows of trees and cutting off .the branches in an elevated inclined plane, thereby deviating the wind upwardly when reaching the forest and so decreasing the powerof the storm on the forest.

4. A'niethod for planning a stormproof area. for a forest which comprises cutting off the branches of the trees of said forest in an inclined plane at the margin of the forest, and forming three zones parallel to the cut trees, the zone adjacentthe cut trees being entirely cleared of trees, the next zone being widely cleared of trees, and the third zone being only slightly thinned of trees.

5.'A method of protecting forests to prevent excessive and damaging. strains. on the trees, due to the wind which comprises trimming the trees at the outskirts of a forest to present an elevated inclinedplane whereby the air cur-rents are deflected and the air is prevented 'from' banking up. against the forest V I V 6. A method of'pmtectingiforests to prevent excessive and damagingstrains onthe trees due to the wind which comprises trimmingthe trees at the outskirtsof a forest to a depth into' the forest of approximately three trees to present an elevated inclined planewhereby the air currents are deflected and the air is prevented from banking up against the forest. 1 V i I 7. A method of protecting foreststo prevent excessive'and damaging strains on the trees due to the wind which comprises removing portions ofthe trees inpredeterrnined zones whereby each zone presents an inclined plane relative to the surface of the earth to deflect the air currents. V '8..A method of protecting forests which comprises removing the tops of the trees at the edge of a forest to'a depth of at least two rows of trees into the forest in such a way that a surface'is formed which is oblique to the surface of .theearth and'the center of gravity ofthe cut trees is shifted, so that the surface which the wind may grip onthe single tree is reduced and the wind will be forced to take another direction over the tops of the treesbehind; the cut trees to thereby prevent the .wind from banking up against the forest and subjecting the trees to excessivedamaging strains. a V V V In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

' EMIL srooie 

